Politics

4:35 pm

Mon August 4, 2014

California Billionaire Plans To Help Wash. State Democrats

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2012 file photo, Tom Steyer, co-founder of Advance Energy Economy, waves as he walks to the podium to address the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

J. Scott ApplewhiteAP Photo

California billionaire and climate activist Tom Steyer plans to try to help Democrats win back the Washington state Senate.

Steyer and his NextGen Political Action Committee plan to target three to four state legislative races, likely Washington state Senate races. They will work in coordination with state environmentalists who have their own political action committees.

Their goal, they said, is to secure a “pro-climate majority” in the Washington Senate that could then help pass Gov. Jay Inslee’s climate agenda, which includes a possible cap-and-trade system.

NextGen recently registered a new political action committee in Washington. Last year, Steyer pumped more than $500,000 into the state. A good chunk of that money went to an unsuccessful effort to defeat a Republican state Senate candidate in a special election.